Andrew M Rodriguez

Andrew M Rodriguez (b. 1989) is a composer, producer, songwriter, and audio engineer. Hailing from West Texas, Rodriguez’s passion for music was ignited by the intimacy and communal experience of his former small-town music scene. His music can be described by its use of contrast and form—often in conjunction—to create landscapes in which energy, texture, and technique are foundational elements for works that explore his own personal examinations of life and our own humanity. As a guitarist, he has recorded three full-length albums and toured internationally with the hardcore-punk band, Close Your Eyes. Rodriguez also uses his knowledge as an audio engineer to inform his compositions, often writing pieces for performer(s) and electronics. Recent commissions include an unconventional string quartet in 6 movements commissioned by Friction Quartet; chamber pieces for the National Orchestral Institute and the Caine School of the Arts at Utah State University (both commissions in conjunction with the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music); and solo pieces for performers such as percussionist, Megan Arns, and guitarist, Jamie Monck. Rodriguez has twice been a finalist for the ASCAP Young Composer Award, and was a nominee for a prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Andrew is an alum of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, a former Bouman Fellow for Kinds of Kings’ 2019-20 residency at National Sawdust, and a former Composer Fellow at the National Orchestral Institute. He holds degrees from Hardin-Simmons University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and currently resides in Champaign, Illinois.

As a producer and engineer, Rodriguez has worked on projects that range from indie rock bands, pop music, and classical recordings. His experience as a recording artist in Close Your Eyes helped shape the foundation of his practice as a producer in both preparing artists as they enter a recording environment and during the recording process. As a guiding principle, Rodriguez seeks to amplify the artist’s goals and utilize his own knowledge and experience to help realize their project. 

Although his work as a composer and as a producer are often kept separate, the two practices will inform each other in various ways. Rodriguez often works in close collaboration with the performers for a newly commissioned work, imitating the way he approaches producing a record. While producing, he will often use his knowledge of music, technique, style, and form to help an artist polish their music to a brilliant finish. His unconventional career path in music was a deliberate choice to learn as much as possible and not be pigeon-holed into a singular field within the arts. It is this constant shifting, learning, and exploration that fuels his drive to create art, and create community through music.

Free hi-res headshots can be found here (these photos were shot on film, so the grainy quality is natural).